Michael Conlan is ready to turn pro next month if he doesn’t make the Rio Olympics via the World Series of Boxing.

Currently third in the bantamweight rankings, the London Games bronze medallist needs to be in the top two to qualify for the Games in 2016.

Belfast boxer Conlan has three fights left in the qualification series, and if he doesn’t make it there are other routes to Rio he could embark on in the coming months.

And while he was present in Dublin yesterday to mark 100 days to go until the first European Games in Baku, if things don’t go Conlan’s way by mid-April he might not be representing Ireland in Azerbaijan.

Instead, he could follow his brother Jamie into the pro ranks because of disillusionment with the amateur game.

Still only 23, Conlan boxes for WSB team Italia Thunder and is disgusted that two of his qualification bouts were awarded against him.

The Italians have written letters of appeal to WSB bosses over both outcomes.

The second took place only last weekend in Kazakhstan and was stopped when Astana Arlans’ Kaira Yeraliyev took a cut over his eye in the fifth round.

The scoring was 4-1 and 3-2 in Yeraliyev’s favour from two of the judges – but the third went 5-0 for Conlan.

Initially the Italians claimed the cut was inflicted by a punch, which should have seen Conlan win by knockout. A slo-mo video ruled that out but Conlan still feels cheated out of the result.

He revealed: “Right afterwards I texted Jamie and said, ‘I don’t want to compete in amateur boxing any more because it’s very, very disheartening at times, I want to go pro right now’.

“He replied to me to wise up, that I was good enough to go to Rio. I know that, it’s just this amateur game can be very disheartening.”

Conlan – who has won silver at European level and gold at the Commonwealth Games in the last two years – added: “It just made me feel sick.

“I wasn’t in the dressing-room crying. I was just wondering what’s going on, would this happen if I was professional? Would I be competing in these countries?

“That was my initial reaction. We’ll see where I am at the end of the WSB and what I want to do because I know I’ll be in Rio if I want to be in Rio.

“It’s not the end of the world but it’s the fact of being robbed.

“What happens if you go to the Olympic Games and you’re robbed?

“You have to take everything into consideration – but try not to think about that if you want to be Olympic champion as well.

“I have three more fights, the last one is on April 18. That’s when I’ll know.

“I’m still alive. I’m in third position – still a good position – but I should be number one.”

It could come down to a final showdown in Venezuala on April 18.

Conlan admitted: “It won’t be as hard as in Kazakhstan but it’ll still be hard to get the decision.

“There’s no margin of error. I’m confident. I believe I have the talent to beat anyone.”